The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1887-02-03
ENSILAGE CORN.

| or the farmers of Wisconsin has been
more thoroughly ventilated at the
| meetings of the Farmers Institutes
| during the entire winter, than that of
the merits of Ensilage Sweet Corn, as
cheap and reliable food for cows, or
other neat stock 1t grows to the
| height of about II feet, and on any of
the corn land of the State that is
fortified enough to grow 80 bushels
of shelled corn per acre, it will yield
from $4,000 to $4,000 pounds of fodder
corn, when weighed at the time it
| should be cut for harvesting, and that
| Is when the lower leaves of the plant
| are turning brown with approaching
ripeness. The seed of this corn is
raised in Maryland and Virginia, as
1t Will not maturr farther north, so as
to make it safe TO use it for seed.
Three pecks of it plants an acre,-the
rows 81 feet apart, and a kernel drop
ped III the row every 3 inches. The
preparation of the soil, and the cultiva
ton of the crop Is essentially the same
as for common field corn, -and that
cultivation should be according to
modern methods; that is, commence
to harrow as soon after planting as
the tiny weeds appear, and before the
corn is up. Keep narrowing in this
way till there is danger of disturbing
the corn plants,-then cultivate be
tween the rows, as IN the old way.
until the corn Is three or four feet high
1t has been found there Is a sweet
ness and succulence in the corn that
is relished by the COWS. so that when
cut to short lengths with the straw
cutter, every piece is eaten.
1t has also been found by repeated
trial, by critical and reliable feeders,
that three tons of this food is equal in
feeding value to one ton of meadow
hay cured in the very best and timely
manner. Hence it follows that an
acre of it is equal in feeding value to
from s to 10 tons of hay. ANY farmer
can see that if he could produce say s
tons of hay from each acre of his
meadow land, that he could then i'm
mediately and safely add to the mum
Der of his herd, and reap correspond
ing profits from the business Of feed
ing stock Well. here is a way he can
get the same results as that of raising
5 tons of hay per acre, and the farmer
need not make any new and costly
experiments to ascertain the reliabil Il
lty Of this corn to merit. 1t has been
| raised in Sheboygan County for at
least three years and is 10 longer an
experiment there. 1t is true that
those who are getting the very best
results from it, silo the corn as fast as
ii is cut in the field; but great results
can be obtained without the silo. We
speak from personal knowledge of the
experience of Hiram Smith, at She
boygan Falls, when we write the above
and now tell how he utilizes the crop.
In the absence of a silO, that he has
not yet built for SLIDING his fodder
corn. He sets a row of fence posts
through the corn field, row for each
Ii rows of corn, on the top of the
posts he spikes pole, and while the
corn just cut cut from the hill, is still
IN the hands Of the man, it is carried
to the pole and leaned against it,
slanting enough to shed rain, and to
not blow down The man follows one
row through and back on the other
side of the pole, and III working that
way the corn has a chance to wilt and
cure little before another row is laid
on the next day. In this way seven
rows are carried to each side of the
pole. There is no binding Of bundles
necessary, or any fastening Of the
corn to the pOle;-its own weight
keeps 1t in place, till drawn to the
barn, which Is done as it Is wanted to
feed. Several acres Of it are still in
the corn field and the fodder scarcely
shows signs Of being weather beaten.
and 1t IS also free from mould, and
what IS more curious, it retains its
succulence to such an extent that.
deep pile Of it now, will, in a warm
barn heat up like hay cock in summer.
Mr.. Smith has raised it for three Or
four years, and has just filed an order
Tor seed enough to plant % acres.
The growing of from II to Is acres
per annum, has given him the food to
increase the stock on his farm, so that
besides. feeding about 65 COWS on his
200 acres, he has raised 40 Jersey
grade calves, so far along that all will
be two and three years old the coming
spring and summer: and all will be
cows ready for butter making in
September next. By the aid of this
corn, all the mature animals and the
growing calves have been fed from
the crops of the farm, and with the
added fertility consequent from feed
ing so many, with an added acreage
of ensiage corn. 1t is confidently
expected that with an average season.
enough Will grow to feed them all, now
that the grown up herd numbers 103.
So we are not romancing when we
report what the growing of this corn
has done as a factor in enabling n
thorough dairy farmer to largely in
crease the productive mouths on a
farm. Every dairyman and stock
feeder IN y Wisconsin can thus increase
bis cattle food as easily and certainly
as has Mr.. Smith.
l would add to the above that I
have the agency for the B & W En-
slIage Corn. | am booking only for
spring delivery at $500 per bushel,
2! bushels or more at S165 per bushel
ALBERT LANDRETH,
Manitowoc, Wis.
COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS.
WEDNESDAY, Jan. &c, 1887.